[i]"Katherine, my darling, you know we have no choi-" I waved a hand dismissively, halting his words. "Yeah, I'll bet." I sighed, my hard glare washing over each of my sisters in turn. Jaqueline, whose expression was as expressionless as ever; Cynthia and Lydia, who stared back, curious rather than in mourning; Angelique, whose pale face held a placid smile; and Lilly. As my eyes met hers, my gaze softened, and I knelt down in front of her. "Don't go crying over me, kid. When I'm gone, your going to have to be the 'tough' one." She stared back, sapphire orbs welling with tears. "Don't go.." She whispered, and I smiled back at her, enveloping her in a hug. "Hey, what did I just say?" She sobbed into my shoulder, and I smiled sadly, "Great. This might be the last shirt I ever own, and you've gone and soaked it." She parted from me, trembling. "Don't say that! When you come back, I'll buy you lots and lots of shirts." She sniffed, eyes ablaze, and I grinned, "I hold you to that." She sniffed and grabbed my hand, pushing something into my palm. "Don't forget me, okay?" I closed my hand around the object, smiling at her, "How could I possibly forget you, Lills?" "Lillian. It's time to go." My mother said in a stern voice, reaching for her shoulder. Lilly slowly stood up, watching me with watery eyes. Turning around, she followed the family, [/i] my [i]family, with a solemn expression. "Hey!" I called after her. She halted in her tracks, turning to me with a small frown. "I'll be back for those shirts." She smiled slightly, "You'd better."[/i]

Now, I waited at the edge of the town, leaning against a lone oak as I awaited my fate. My scuffed combat boots bore shallow grooves in the soft dirt, and my leather jacket had warmed the wet, tear-stain on the sleeve of my t-shirt. I sighed, staring up at the grey sky, when suddenly a soft melody pierced the silence. Frowning, I followed the sound, stuffing my slender hands into the pockets of my jeans as I listened for the source of the music. Turning the corner, I saw a girl playing a violin, and another girl beside her. Ah. Sacrifices. Well, this was bound to be a cheerful encounter.